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Thread: can you make priming compound?

  1. #81
    Boolit Master

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    Tin sulfide can be used instead of antimony sulfide. I'll post latter how to do it, as it simply melting the two together in the correct proportions. Or you can make antimony sulfide yourself, if you had to.

  2. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by deces View Post
    Just curious, has anyone hurt themselves or had close calls yet? this thread died all the sudden. (no pun intended)
    I've loaded a fair number of cups. But, I do small batches. The only thing that has happened wasn't an explosion. But, I did break 2 rules.
    1. Poor 'house cleaning'.
    2. Tried something at the spur of the moment.

    I was walking out the door on the way to a school play when I got an idea. And thought I'd quickly test it. I didn't even take off my jacket. I finished the test and went to the play. I had gotten some oxidizer on the jacket. Either there was some grease/sugar on the jacket where the oxidizer also was or possibly someones cigarette started it. In the school lobby I smelled smoke and it seemed to be following me. Then I noticed that the jacket was burning without a flame. I put it out and went and watched the play.

  3. #83
    Boolit Master wills's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Desertbuck View Post
    I have looked high and low for strike anywhere matches no luck. So I looked at the toy caps, it might work if you put a pinch of black powder on top of two disk's but there the Armstrong mixture, from what I understand is that it is very sensitive.


    I thought they were gone too, but our HEB has good ole fashioned Diamond, and it appears you can order them.

    http://www.appoutdoors.com/liberty_m...FdSnPAod0z4Anw
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  4. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oreo View Post



    The author says that red phosphorus is a primary ingredient. Its the only ingredient I haven't been able to find available commercially in reasonable quantity or price. But that doesn't appear to be a major problem.

    Most of the author's recipes use Potassium Chlorate which results in a corrosive primer. One non-corrosive recipe uses Barium Nitrate instead but also uses Red Phosphorus which is inconvenient. I have not been able to find any good reason why potassium chlorate can't be substituted by barium nitrate in the author's recipe 4 which does not call for red phosphorus. This would be a very good, non-corrosive primer made from cheap & easy chemicals. It would need to be tested for proper sensitivity of course.
    If you use potassium chlorate it will be corrosive. As red phosphorus is on the DEA list, it will be very hard to buy unless you are corporation. You'd be better off making it than spending time trying to find it to buy on the legal market.

    I've test all the mixes from the AO book. They all work fine.

    But I would load them wet and use a gum in the mix. Gum does make for a more consistent primer. One of my own created mixes would only fire on the first try about 95% of the time, but would then fire on the second try. I switched it to wet mix with gum and it would fire 100% of the time on the first try. IMO, it is hard to beat safer and better.

  5. #85
    Boolit Master

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    Most ACE hardware stores carry strike anywhere matches. Forum member Delmar has a youtube video on how he does them. I use primer plates to hold the cups instead of how he does/did it.

    FWIW, Delmar happened to get into guns at the same time as the last shortage and wasn't able to buy ammo for it. So in the spirit of can-do, he bought a Lee Loader, 100 primers(all he could get) and a pound of powder. Then had to start reloading primers to continue shooting.

  6. #86
    Boolit Buddy ofitg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by perotter View Post
    Tin sulfide can be used instead of antimony sulfide. I'll post latter how to do it, as it simply melting the two together in the correct proportions.
    Perotter, this sounds like the makings of a great project. Thanks In Advance for the info!

  7. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by perotter View Post
    Tin sulfide can be used instead of antimony sulfide. I'll post latter how to do it, as it simply melting the two together in the correct proportions. Or you can make antimony sulfide yourself, if you had to.
    Here is what I've got.

    In a porcelain crucible put, by weight, 40% sulfur and 60% tin. Melt them together and mix well. Let it cool and grind into a powder.

  8. #88
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    Quote Originally Posted by perotter View Post
    Here is what I've got.

    In a porcelain crucible put, by weight, 40% sulfur and 60% tin. Melt them together and mix well. Let it cool and grind into a powder.
    I'd expect you'll want/need to keep a lid on the crucible during the hot part of the process to prevent sulfur loss -- sulfur ignites in air at not much above the melting point of tin. You'll probably also want to have the tin in the finest particle size obtainable, and the sulfur in powder, so you can mix them together as much as possible before starting the melt and avoid having to open the crucible to stir until most of the metal and sulfur have reacted.

  9. #89
    Boolit Buddy ofitg's Avatar
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    IMM, thanks for mentioning that. I just looked up the sulfur's auto-ignition temperature..... that's shaving it pretty close..... I wish there was some simple way to achieve precise control of the temperature....

  10. #90
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    If one wants to just getter done this is how I'd say to do it.

    If you are ok with using a corrosive primer, than just make the mix that the US military used back in the WW1 era. They spent a lot of money and time coming up with it and it works very well. And the chemicals are easily obtainable, cheap and is simple to do. No special equipment and it is faster and cheaper to reload with than using toy caps or cutting the heads off of strike anywhere matches. The cost would be about $0.60 per 1000 primers.

    If you must have a non-corrosive primer, you have a few choices. But the simplest path to get a 100% result without doing a bunch of experimentation, is to make your own RP. It is pre-1600's tech making it and stone-age tech will work. Then buy barium nitrate and antimony sulfide to make the compound. Urine was first used to make it. Latter it was made from bones. The US military is currently working on replacing the current lead based primer mixes with a RP one. And in the past have used it.

    If you don't want to make RP, than go the hypophosite route. Use Berdan primers, a booster charge or a duplex primer. It's simple, safe(relative to the topic) and currently you can just buy what you need.

    After that, IMO, one moves from the "just getter done" into the more experimental world or you start spending a lot of time, money, work with very poisonous chemicals, etc. I somewhat like the experimentation and research that goes into the use of other things, but one should decide what their goal is before starting.

    Stay safe. If in doubt, don't do it.

  11. #91
    Boolit Buddy ofitg's Avatar
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    Good advice, Perotter. My primary goal is making caps for percussion revolvers, and the KClO3-based mix has worked very well for me. I'm still interested in developing backup sources for the chemicals, and the "tin sulfide" idea sounds intriguing.

    Thanks for sharing your info - it's great to hear from others who are working in this area.

  12. #92
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    I'm going to check the result of ammonium permanganate(non-corrosive). Currently the chemicals to make it are available everywhere in the US. And making doesn't require an equipment, special process or be expensive. This would be one that wouldn't have a real long life. Something like 6 months to a year. This could be a reason that it was never used for commercial ones.

    Please keep in mind that testing this may not happen in a few days. Although it might go fast. It could be that it is to bulky.

  13. #93
    Boolit Buddy Raven_Darkcloud's Avatar
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    I have been working with Diamond greenlight strike anywhere matches. They are potassium perchlorate, sulfur based. The first test was did it work. Now I am working on a slurry. The heads are water soluble and dissolving them off is the safest way. I have a batch dissolving now. The slurry should be ready in 24hrs with all the priming compound dissolved.
    Attachment 66608
    The green looks odd but it lights well. In fact it lights a little too well when dry. That is why I wanted to do a wet mix. Plus dissolving is less time consuming then smashing them up. If this test works the next step is the potassium chloride, sulfur, grit mix. The wet mix is what will make it safer.

  14. #94
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    I use the green tip matches in my shop to light the stove. When the weather is cold, or damp, they do not light as well. Keep us updated.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
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  15. #95
    Boolit Buddy Raven_Darkcloud's Avatar
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    Now the trick is a consistent mix. Water by its self is slow drying, perhaps an alcohol to dissolve on the next test. They will light but the drying time is painful. I have about 28gr of mix in the slurry. A 24 to 36hr dry time is the slow down on this test. I think I will do a side test with IPA to make the wet mix. Hmm I wounder if a 10 min run at 100 in toaster oven will set it off? To the test cave Robbin!

  16. #96
    Boolit Buddy Raven_Darkcloud's Avatar
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    Ok 6 matches in the toaster oven on low for 40 min and no ignition. I might be able to speed up the drying that way.
    Yes I can buy it, but great pride can be taken when I make it myself!

  17. #97
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    I wonder if heat might cause degradation of the compound.

    An alternative would be to build a vacuum chamber and place the wet primers in the vacuum.

  18. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dutchman View Post
    If there's any interest I can burn up a batch of CD of this:

    $15 delivered U.S. only. Sold a bunch of these in this forum in 2008.

    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...rt-amp-Oelberg
    I'd be interested in 2 copies; one for me and one for my son.

  19. #99
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    Oven drying is fine for match compound. Just remember that the dried mixture is somewhat sensitive.

  20. #100
    Boolit Buddy Raven_Darkcloud's Avatar
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    Time will tell. The good part is that this is low cost testing.
    Yes I can buy it, but great pride can be taken when I make it myself!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check